The 'treetop walk' at Orchard also functions as a shortcut from one end of the concourse to the other. — Photos: MELODY L. GOH/The Star
In April, Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha, Qatar was listed as the World’s Best Airport in the 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards. This is the third time it has won the award – the first was in 2021, and then again in 2022.
Last year, Singapore Changi Airport held the title, but it slid down to the #2 spot in the 2024 list. Changi has actually won the award 12 times, including its consecutive wins from 2013 to 2020, but since the pandemic, HIA has been its “fiercest” rival.
Alongside the main award, HIA was also named the World’s Best Airport For Shopping this year.
Recently, while on a trip to Europe, I got the chance to stop at HIA for two layovers, both of which were late at night. During the first layover, the plane landed at HIA just before midnight, but there was still a sizeable crowd at the airport, and a lot of the shops were buzzing with travellers.
The immigration process was pretty seamless, though I did have to wait in line for a bit as there really were a lot of transit passengers.
Going through security was not a nice experience. I had a bottle of hand sanitiser, a tube of hand lotion and a tub of pudding (which I had saved from my in-flight meal) in my carry-on bag, which were flagged by the screening officer. He told one colleague to take my bag in for further checking. That person then called another officer to check the bag, and he took his time to do so.
None of them said anything to me, addressed me or even gave me any instructions. It was bizarre.
After the security checks, all transfer passengers must go down the escalators to the main concourse where the shops, lounges and boarding gates were. But not everyone knows this as the signs telling us to do so were not immediately visible. However, “helpful” airport staff were around to sternly tell everyone to “GO DOWN”, every few minutes.
Two boiled eggs and some spinach from one of the food kiosks at HIA will cost you RM27.
At about 600,000sq m, the passenger terminal at HIA is huge (the biggest building in Qatar, in fact) and it would take you some time to explore the place. At that hour, and after a seven-and-a-half-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, I wasn’t really in the mood to do all that walking.
I did manage to check out the dining options, a few shops and, of course, the Instagram-worthy (and multi-million-dollar) giant Lamp Bear sculpture by Swiss artist Urs Fischer in the middle of the main terminal. It was ... OK.
There were other giant sculptures around, some of which were functional, like the slide in the kids’ playground – at 1am this area was still full of kids and very weary parents.
The waterfall at HIA’s Orchard looks suspiciously like Changi’s Jewel. — Photos: MELODY L. GOH/The Star
If you’re thirsty but forgot to bring along a reusable bottle with you then you can go to the convenience store to buy a bottle of mineral or drinking water. It’s going to cost you quite a bit so always remember your reusable bottle or tumbler! If you do have one, then you can refill at any of the water stations, which weren’t as many as I expected.
You can also refill at the same convenience store you bought your water from. It’s free.
During my second layover at HIA, I was incredibly sleepy (it was way past midnight) and wanted some caffeine. This time around, I walked over to the terminal’s new expansion, which included the much-talked about Orchard, an indoor tropical garden of sorts. It’s actually not that easy to find, although perhaps the lack of caffeine contributed to my lack of awareness of the surroundings.
The Orchard is a gorgeous space filled with real trees and plants, a “treetop bridge”, and a waterfall that seems to be part of a light installation. I really liked the place, though it did kind of feel like an adaptation of Changi’s Jewel.
A cute 'tent' at the Orchard where people can rest.
There were lots of seating areas around, including some tents for folks who need to rest and want some privacy. There were also numerous power points for those of us who constantly need to charge our phones, laptops and other electronic devices.
The dining options around the Orchard are more posh than at the other concourses – two Gordon Ramsay eateries, a Dior cafe, an Armani cafe, a Fendi Bar and more – but there is also a food court in one corner (there are two “budget-friendly” food courts in the whole terminal).
The much-hyped Souq Al Matar, a retail and dining experience that mimics a traditional Qatari souq is also in this part of the airport. I wanted to check it out but was intimidated by how luxurious and expensive it looked; I could barely afford my coffee at one of the “cheaper” stalls.
All these fancy spaces, shops and amenities won’t really matter if the airport isn’t clean, and thankfully, it is. At least in most parts.
While the toilets were clean and dry, I was not too impressed by some of the boarding gates. For the flight to KL that day, the boarding gate was at a more secluded area, one which was further away from the shiny luxury shops. The seats and carpet had food crumbs and even some rubbish on the floor.
There was also a problem while waiting for our bus – yes, we had to take a bus to board our plane just like at the KL International Airport. It was a very long wait, and the First and Business class passengers were visibly annoyed (these passengers have a dedicated bus to get to the plane; the rest of us had to wait for the regular shuttle). No announcements were made as to how long we needed to wait, and it even looked like the ground staff on duty had conflicting ideas over what to do.
One passenger was so angry he raised his voice for all to hear. “If it’s still a long wait, why can’t you just tell me now so I can sit down?” He had a point.
Most passengers will take their pictures in front of this luxury store.
As the World’s Best Airport For Shopping, HIA checks all the boxes. As the World’s Best Airport, however, there are certain areas it still needs to work on.
Skytrax awards are given based on customer feedback and experience (worldairportawards.com/awards-methodology/) via a survey. For this particular award, over 570 airports were featured. The survey for next year’s awards is not open for registration yet, so check the website regularly for updates.
Today, the Skytrax 25th World Airline Awards was announced at Fairmont Windsor Park in London, England. Over 80 awards were announced, including World’s Best Low-Cost Airline, which Malaysia’s AirAsia has won for the 15th consecutive year!
The coveted World’s Best Airline was won by Qatar Airways, kicking last year's winner, Singapore Airlines, to #2.
Emirates is at #3, followed by ANA All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Turkish Airways, EVA Air and Air France. Malaysia Airlines, meanwhile is at #39, up from #47 last year. Malaysia's national carrier is also #10 in the World's Best Cabin Crew category.
The World's Cleanest Airline went to Cathay Pacific, while Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines are at #4 and #5 respectively.
In case you’re interested, the 2024/2025 World Airline Survey, which determines next year’s winners for the World’s Best Airline Awards, will launch in September.
